Precision basing machine for incandescent lamps and similar articles



Aug. 13, 1929. J. T. FAGAN ET AL 1,724.83]

PRECISION BASING MACHINE.FOR INCANDESCENTLAMPS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed June 16. 1926 s sneets sneet 1 JNYENTURS: UJHM T. RAGLAN, UUHN zrJ. WLL DY,

awrw 2" H515 A'Tzwa NELY Aug. 13, 1929. J. T. FAGAN EIAL PRECISION BASING MACHINE FOR INQANDESCENT LAIPS AND SIIILAR ARTICLES Filed June 16, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet Tram Arranzvzr Aug. 13, 1929. J. T. FAGAN ET AL 1,724,831

PRECISION BASING MACHINE FOR INGANDESCENT LAMPS AND SIIILAR ARTICLES Filed June 16', 1926 '3 Sheets-Sheet 3 THEIR Arra'nzvnx Patented Aug. 13,. 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

JOHN T. FAGAN ANDJ'OKN J. HALLOY, OI CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOBI T GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION 01' NEW YORK.

PRECISION 'BASING MACHINE FOB INCANDESCENT LAHPS AND SIIILAB ARTICLES.

Application m June is, 1020. Serial No. 110,443.

Our invention relates to machines for applying a base to an electric incandescent lamp or similar device comprising a filament or other element whose position is desired to have a definite relation to said base or to a part thereof. Our machine is particularly adapted for basing electric incandescent lamps such as are used in connection with reflectors in automobile headlights, signal lam s, and projection lamps generally. Suc a base is generally provided with pins which engage slots in a socket, the latter being definitely positioned with reference to a reflector. It is desirable in many cases to have the plane of the filament occupy a definite relation with reference to the plane passing throughthe pins and through the axis of the base. A machine for accomplishing this is disclosed in Mofiit and Braunsdorfi' Patent No. 1,687,504, granted October 16, 1928, for a precision basing machine for incandescent lamps and similar articles. Our invention in some respects constitutes an improvement on the specific machine dis closed in that application. According to our invention, use is made of optical means for causing to appear in a convenient location a single end-on image of the filament which is utilized in adjusting the bulb so that the 1 filament has the desired relation. In the preferred form of our invention, two images substantially at right angles to each other are caused to appear to the operator, and this allows a very accurate positioning to be -made. Another feature of our invention is the provision of a readily adjustable chuck or holder for the bulb. Further features and advantages will appear from the following description of a specific embodiment of our inventlon.

In the drawing, ourinvention is shown as applied to a machine such as disclosed in Fagan, Rippl, and Malloy application, Serial No. 10,956, filed February 21, 1925, ma-

chines for making incandescent lamps and similar articles, although it is to be understood it may be applied to other machines.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a machine comprising our invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of one of the heads; Fi 3 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 4 is a p an view of a portion of the apparatus showing the optical projection means diagrammatically; Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 5-5 of 66 Fig}; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the bulb ho ding cup; Fig. 7 is a plan of the lamp base locating plate; Fi 8 1s a diagrammatic view in elevation of ale optical rojection elements; Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the observation screen; Fig. 10 is a fragmentary side elevation of the side and top leading-in wire contacting members; Fig. 11 is a front elevation thereof; Fig. 12 is a section along the line 12-12 of Fig. 10; and Fig. 13 is asectional plan view along the line l313 of Fig. 10.

The machine partially shown in Fig. 1 is of the general type disclosed in the Fagan, Rippl, and Malloy application above referred to, and comprises a carrier 10 which is movable by rotation and has mounted thereon a plurality of heads 11, each of which isadapted to hold an assembly consisting of a base portion 12 of a lamp and another portion carrying the remaining parts of the said lamp, including a filament 13, all sealed in a bulb 14. The filament 13, which, as shown, is a concentrated coil V-shaped, is electricall connected with conductors 15 and 16, whic lead to the base 12, to which they are soldered as disclosed in the aforesaid application of Fagan, Rippl, and Malloy. Each head comprises a bulb holding cup 17 which issupported by a head 18 detachably mounted on a a5 spindle 19. The arrangement is such that the cup 17 floats with reference to the head 18, and the friction is adjusted so that an operator may readily move the said cup in various directions and the cup will maintain its position wherever placed. For this purpose the cup is provided. with a depending internally threaded flange 20 with which engages a nut 21 (Fig. 5) which bears against the bottom surface of the flan e portion 22 of the head 18. As shown-in Figs. 2 and 3, the spindle 19 passes through guide brackets 23 and 24 which extend from a standard 25 forming part of the head 11. The spindle 19 carries a tension arm 26 which bears against a spring 27, and the holder 17 may be lowered by the operator by pressing down on this tension arm. In the operation of the machine a cam 28 located at the loading and unloading positions engages a roller 29 carricd by the tension arm 26 so as to lower the 3 cup 17 through the spindle 19.

This permits the operator to remove a completed based lamp and replace it with a new assembly comprising a bulb and base which are to be united.

At the loading positions an operator first assembles a lamp bulb and base lined with cement in proper relation for uniting, after which the bulb is placed in the cup 17 and held by the operator until the roller 29 rides off the cam 28, whereupon the spindle 19 is raised by the spring 27 until the pins 30 and 31 of the base 12 engage the locating plate 32. The said plate is provided with aligned shoulders 33 and 34, and, as the base is raised, the operator can turn the assembly so as to cause the pins 30 and 31 to register with these shoulders 33 and 34, respectively. In order to hold the base firmly, there are provided a pair of jaws 35 and 36 which engage the same on opposite sides and, as shown in Fig. 1, are open and out of contact with the base 12 at the loading and unloading positions. The opening of these jaws is caused by a stationary cam 37 (Fig. 1) as 1 each head 11 arrives at the loading and un loading positions. The cam 37 is so located that when the carrier 10 moves toward the loading position, a roller 38, one of which is carried by each head 11, engages the cam 37. Each roller 38 is carried by one arm 39 of a crank 39', which is rotatably mounted on a pin 40 extending from the platform 41 forming part of the standard 25. A pair of links 42 and 43 carried by the crank are attached to the base holding jaws 35 and 36, respectively, so that as the roller 38 engages the cam 37 the arm 39 is caused to move outward, thereby forcing the jaws 35 and 36 open through the links 42 and 43.

After the loading operation, the advance of the carrier 10 causes the head 11 to reach the observation and adjusting position B, with which our invention has more particularly to do. Just prior to reaching this position, the roller 38 rides oil the cam 37 and the jaws 35 and 36 are caused to close about and firmly grip the base 12. The closing of the jaws is accomplished by means of a spring 44, which is attached at one end to the arm 45 of the crank 39', and at its opposite end to a pi'n46 of the next head 11. At the observation and adjusting position we provide a series of contacting members which are caused to engage the leading-in conductors 15 and 16 and send current through them in order that the lamp may be lighted. These contacting members are best shown in Figs. 10 to 13, inclusive, and comprise two pairs of jaws 47 and 48 rotatably mounted on a shaft 49 which extends horizontally from a movable holder 50. The said holder is slidably mounted in a bracket 51 which forms part of a sight box 52. The assembl which comprises the jaws 47 and 48, she t 49, and holder is located somewhat above the carrier, so as not to interfere with it during its travel. The jaws are normally open, as shown in dotted lines on the drawings. As the carrier stops at the observation and adjusting position, the assembly is lowered so as to bring the jaws in such a position that they may conveniently grasp the leading-in conductors 15 and 16, in order that a good contact therewith may be secured. The closing of the jaws is accomplished during the lowering of the assembly by means of the horizontally dis osed springs 53 and 54 which are connecte between the fingers 55 and 56 extending from the upper ends of the said jaws. After the jaws have closed about the conductor-s 15 and 16, electrical energy is supplied to the jaws 47 from a source (not shown) through the conduit 57. Current then passes from the jaws 47 down through the top conductor 15 to the filament 13, and out through the side conductor 16 to the jaws 48 which are grounded to the machine.

The jaws 47 are insulated from the machine by means of a fibre bushing 58 mounted on the shaft 49. An optical projection means is also provided at this position which consists essentially of an arrangement of lenses and reflecting prisms which, as shown in Fig. 1, are supported in a housing 59 attached to a bracket 60 carried by the center column 61 of the machine. As the lamp is lighted, images of its filament 13 are projected on a ground glass screen 62, the arrangement being such that two vertical projections of the filament are shown taken from directions at right angles to each other. The vertical cross hair 63 represents a plane which has a definite relation to the plane of the, base pin stop shoulders 33 and 34. As shown in the drawing, it is at right angles thereto so that when the projection of the filament coincides with said cross hair, it indicates that the filament is located in a plane at right angles to that of the base pins. The vertical cross hair 64, on the other hand, corresponds to the axis ofthe base, and when the center line of the. filament assing through the apex of the V-shaped ament image-registers with the cross hair 64, it indicates that the filament is symmetrically disposed with relation to the axis of the base. The images are secured by means of lenses and reflecting prisms, the image 65 being projected through lens 66, reflecting prism 67, reflecting prism 68, and then vertically to reflecting prism 69, which throws it upon the target of the ground glass screen 62. The image 71 is projected through the lens 72, reflecting prism 73, reflecting prism 74, and then vertically to reflecting prism 75, which throws it upon the the operator is able to obtain coincidence of v cators on said screen one image with the cross hair 63 and of the I apex of the other filament image with the cross hair 64.

' After the positioning of the lamp assembly, the contacting jaws 47 and 48 are opened and raised out of the path of travel of the carrier. The opening of the jaws occurs while they are being raised by means of the links 77 and 78, which are pivotally connected between the upper arms of the said jaws and the blocks 79 and 80, respectively said blocks being fastened on the bottom of the sight box 52. The block 79 which sup ports the links 77 is insulated from the machine by means of a fibre block 81. The lowering and raising of the contact jaw assembly is accomplished by means of a cam (not shown) which acts through a series of levers and rods so as to rotate the horizontal rod 82 which extends through the bearings 83 formed in the bracket 51. Attached to the rod 82 is a lever 84 which is forked at its opposite end so as to receive a pin 85 carried by the holder 50. After the contact jaws b 47 and48 have been raised, the carrier is advanced so as to carry the lamp assembly to a heating means where the cement carried by the base 12 is hardened so as to cause the base to be firmly attached to the lamp. The.

other operations of the machine form no part of this invention. These comgrise the trimming of the conductors 15 an 16 and the soldering of the ends thereof to the base. This machine also comprises means for aging the filament so that the completed lamp is ready for packing upon unloading from the machine. These features of the machine are disclosed in the Fagan, Ri pl and Mall oy application hereinbefore re' erred to.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s:

1. The combination of means for engaging and holding a base in a definite position, means for supporting in contact with said base a bulb or other transparent body containing a filament or other element requiring definite location, a screen and means for simultaneously rojecting images of the said filament or ot er element taken from different angles upon said screen, said .su Eorting means for said bulb or other body eing such as to allow adjustment to brin said images into proper relations with indiand to firmly hold the said bulb or other body in adjusted position.

2. The combination of a movable carrier, a head mounted thereupon comprising means for engaging and holding a base in a definite position and adjustable means for supporting in contact with said base a bulb or other transparent body containin a filament or other element requiring de nite location, an optical Jarojecting means comprising a screen, an means for moving said carrier to bring said filament or other element into operative relation to said project- 1ng means to cause an image thereof to be pro ected upon said screen.

3. The combination of means for engaging and holding a base in a definite position, floating means for supporting in contact with said base a bulb or other transparent body containing. a filament or other element requiring definite location, a screen and means for simultaneously pro'ecting images of the said filament or other e ement talren from different angles u on said screen, said supporting means for said bulb or other ody being such as to allow adjustment to bring said images into proper relations with indicators on said screen and to firmly hold the said bulb or other body in adjusted position.

4. Thecombination of a movable carrier, a head mounted thereupon comprising means for engagin and holding a base in a definite position an adjustable means for supportmg 1n contact with said base a bulb or other transparent body containin a filament or other element requiring deii nite location, a plurality of optical projecting means compris ng a screen, and means for moving said carrier to bring said filame t or other element into operative relation to said projecting means to cause images thereof to be proj ected upon said screen.

5 a basing machine, the combination of a movable carrier, a head mounted thereon comprising means for holding an assembly comprising a base and a bulb or other transparent body having a filament therein and leading-in wires connected to said fila- 

